Telescopic sight gun mount

ABSTRACT

This disclosure relates to an elevational and windage adjustable sight rifle mount for readily and rapidly attaching the scope to the rifle and for quickly and easily detaching the scope from the rifle. The mount includes a pair of spaced saddle assemblies fixedly secured to the receiver housing of the rifle. One of the saddle assemblies includes an inclined contact edge while the other assembly includes a flat deformable leaf spring. The scope is clamped to an elongated carrier having one end formed with a sloped or oblique surface which matches and engages the inclined contact edge and having the other end provided with a pivotal lever. One end of the pivotal lever includes a digital tab for being manipulated from an unlocked position to a locked position while the other end of the lever includes a rounded portion which frictionally engages a locking ledge and deflects the leaf spring to positively lock the scope to the rifle.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a telescopic sight gun mount and, moreparticularly, to an adjustable rifle mount for rapidly and rigidlyattaching a telescopic sight to the receiver of the action portion ofthe rifle and for quickly and easily detaching the telescopic sight fromthe receiver of the action of the rifle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The increased use of telescopic or telescope sights in the sport ofhunting and shooting has produced a greater demand for better, morestable and easily separable scope mounts for rifles and other guns. Itwill be appreciated that an acceptable mount for hunters and targetshooters must be capable of allowing the telescopic sight to be quicklyand easily attached to and detached from the rifle without the need ofspecial or ancillary tools. The criteria must hold true even duringadverse weather, such as, on wet, cold or snowy times when it isnecessary for the sportsman or hunter to wear gloves or mittens toprotect his or her hands from the bitter and freezing atmosphericconditions. It is quite apparent that it is awkward, if not impossible,for an individual to handle a screwdriver, a wrench or a pair of plierswearing gloves or mittens. Likewise, in freezing or sub-zero weather,the exposed hands and fingers of a hunter or shooter soon become numb,and he or she is greatly impeded in an attempt to loosen or tightenscrews, bolts or other types of fasteners which were previously employedto securely hold the telescopic sight to the weapon. In order toalleviate the above-noted disadvantages, it has been previously proposedto utilize helical spring loaded plunger mechanisms, latching cams andnotched devices as well as other types of resilent latching arrangementsfor mounting telescopic sights to firearms. These latter attempts havealso failed to meet with general acceptance of many gun owners sincemisalignment problems frequently occur during handling and firing of thegun. It will be appreciated that heavy or large caliber rifles have agreat amount of kick or recoil which is directly transmitted to thetelescopic sight. These reactional forces or vibrational energy tends tocause frictional wear on the cammed and notched surfaces so that themount eventually becomes loose and results in misalignment problems.Further, the springs of previous mounts are conducive to weakening andtend to lose their resiliency and tension due to aging and corrosion sothat the scope becomes unsteady which causes inaccurate firing. Inaddition to the rifle recoil causing misalignment in previous mounts,the slightest mishandling of the rifle, such as, inadvertently grabbingor accidently bumping the telescope, results in inaccurate shooting.Thus, in order to achieve the highest degree of accuracy over anextended period of time, it is essential that a telescopic sight gunmount must be quickly and readily separable, must rigidly and securelyhold the telescopic sight, must be capable of withstanding abuse andmishandling, must not be susceptible to excessive frictional wear andmust not be adversely effected by inclement and unfavorableenvironmental conditions.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new andimproved telescopic sight gun mount which alleviates the above-mentioneddisadvantages.

Another object of this invention is to provide a unique mount and scopewhich is quickly and easily attached to and detached from a rifle.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel rifle mountwhich furnishes a rigid and stable support for a telescopic sight.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a telescopic sightrifle mount which firmly locks the telescopic sight to the rifle yetreadily permits the removal of the telescopic sight from the rifle.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a steady anddurable gun scope mount which is not susceptible to misalignment due torecoiling and mishandling of the gun.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an adjustable riflemount and scope which is readily and rigidly attached to the rifle andeasily detached from the rifle.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a mount for readilyconnecting a telescopic sight to a gun and for quickly disconnecting thetelescopic sight from the gun having a first and a second saddle spacedapart and fixedly secured to the gun, the first saddle including anoblique contact plane, the second saddle having a flat deflectable leafmember and having a lip, an elongated carrier having means for holdingthe telescopic sight, the elongated carrier having one end formed toagree and butt with the oblique contact plane and having a manipulatablelever pivotally connected to the other end of the elongated carrier, themanipulatable lever pivotally connected at the other end of theelongated carrier, the manipulatable lever having a finger grip formedon one end and having a rounded portion formed on the other end forfrictionally engaging the lip and for deflecting the flat deflectableleaf member whereby the elongated carrier and telescopic sight arepositively locked in fixed relationship with the first and the secondsaddles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided anadjustable telescopic sight mount which allows for rigid and rapidattachment of the telescopic sight to a rifle and which permits quickand easy detachment of the telescopic sight from the rifle. The mountincludes an elongated carrier having a pair of split rings or bands forclamping around the central body or barrel of the telescopic sight. Themount includes a back and a front saddle assembly positioned at spacedpoints along the length of the receiver of the rifle. The back saddleassembly includes a U-shaped member which rests on an elevationaladjusting shim member with screws fastening the U-shaped member and theshim member to the receiver. The front saddle assembly includes aU-shaped member which fits into a dovetailed slot formed in a basemember which is screwed to the receiver of the rifle. A pair oflarge-headed adjusting screws permit lateral movement of the frontsaddle member relative to the base member to compensate for windage. Thefront end of the base member is provided with an oblique plane orinclined edge which matches a canted surface formed on one end of theelongated carrier. The underside of the other end of the elongatedcarrier is provided with a pivotal lever having a digital manipulatableportion formed on one end thereof for moving the pivotal lever betweentwo extreme positions which is limited by a stop member. The back saddleassembly is provided with a flat deflectable blade or leaf member whichis frictionally engaged and deformed by a rounded edge portion formed onthe other end of the pivotal lever and is provided with a locking ledgewhich engages and deflects the lever for positively locking theelongated carrier and telescopic sight in fixed relationship with theback and front saddles and, in turn, on the rifle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing objects and other attendent features and advantages willbe more readily apparent and appreciated as the subject inventionbecomes more clearly understood by reference to the following detaileddescription when considered in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the receiver of a riflehaving a mount in accordance with the present invention for attaching atelescopic sight to the rifle.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the receiver and the front and back saddleassemblies in spaced relationship with the telescopic sight and theelongated carrier detached.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the telescopic sightand the elongated carrier separated from the rifle.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken along lines IV--IV of FIG. 1, ofthe elongated carrier and saddle assemblies with the telescopic sight inthe locked position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings and, in particular, to FIG. 1, there is shownthe adjustable gun mounting arrangement of the present invention whichprovides for positive and rigid attachment of a telescopic sight to arifle or gun. As shown, the gun or rifle mount generally characterizedby numeral 1 includes a separable elongated telescopic carrier 2 and apair of cradle or saddle assemblies 3 and 4 which are fixedly secured inspaced relation to the top of the receiver housing of a bolt action typeof rifle or firearm, such as, a 98 Mauser, Remington 700, Winchester 70or the like.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the receiver 5 is generally constructed ofhigh quality ordnance steel and includes a frontal cylindrical portion5a having internal or female threads for receiving the threaded portionof a rifle barrel (not shown). The intermediate portion 5b is reducedand is formed with an undercut section for permitting the ejection ofthe spent brass shells or cartriges. A cylindrical or rounded backportion 5c is adapted to accommodate the bolt body and knob (not shown).It will be appreciated that the rifle includes a suitable wooden stockto which the barreled action is appropriately attached.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the rounded back receiver portion 5c isprovided with a pair of drilled and tapped holes (not characterized) forreceiving suitable fasteners or screws as will be described presently. Aplano-concaved metallic spacer or shim member 7 including matchingthrough holes is arranged to have its hollow or curved undersurfacefitted and placed on top of the rounded back portion 5c of the receiverhousing. It will be appreciated that the thickness or vertical height ofthe shim member 7 may be varied and specifically selected to provide anelevational adjustment for different variations in the trajectory andcharacteristics of a given caliber of bullet and should be selected inaccordance with the test results of the manufacturer. The top or uppersurface of the shim member 7 is arranged to support a back cradle orsaddle member 8. The saddle 8 includes a rearwardly projecting flatrectangular platen 8a which rests on the flat surface of shim member 7.The platen member 8a includes a pair of countersunk holes which areadapted to be aligned with the two holes drilled in shim 7 and the twothreaded holes located in the receiver portion 5 c. A pair of flatheaded machine screws 9 are fitted into the aligned holes and aretightened to securely hold the saddle and shim members in position onthe receiver. As shown, the forward end of the saddle 8 includes aU-shaped or concaved portion 8b which accommodates the central body orintermediate barrel section of a telescopic sight or scope, as will bedescribed in greater detail hereinafter. The lowest middle extremity ofthe concaved surface of the U-shaped portion 8b includes a scored furrowor V-notch 8c which functions as an open iron sight when the telescopicsight is not attached to the rifle. The forward end of the back saddle 8also includes a depending leg or portion 8d having an inner corner andsurface which bear against the front edge of shim 7 for assisting inpositioning and holding the saddle member 8 on the shim member 7. Asshown in FIG. 4, a central recess or cutout 10 and an upper lip orhorizontal contact ledge 8e are formed in the front side of dependingleg portion 8d. The recess 10 is spanned or bridged by a relatively longand narrow blade or flat parallel deflectable leaf spring member 11which is securely held in position by fillister headed machine screw 12.The elongated leaf spring 11 is constructed of suitable resilient metal,such as, stainless steel or the like, which has high resistance tofatigue, corrosion and wear.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, it will be appreciated that the frontportion 5a of receiver housing 5 is also drilled and tapped forreception of a pair of retaining screws which will be describedpresently. The front saddle assembly 4 includes a base member 14 havinga hollowed-out or concaved underside positioned on and aligned with thetwo threaded holes formed in the receiver portion 5a. A pair of flatheaded machine screws 15 are fitted into the countersunk holes drilledin the base member 14 and are tightened to securely hold the member 14on the receiver housing 5. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, each side ofthe base member 14 is provided with a lateral extending step portion orside ledge 14a which has a flat or plane edge. Further, the uppersurface or top of the base member 14 is provided with a centrallylocated lateral mortise or dovetail slot 16 which extends the width ofthe base member 14. An upstanding front saddle or cradle member 17having a matching tenon or dovetail 18 is formed on its lower extremityis slidably disposed within the mortise 16. A through hole is drilledand tapped in the tenon portion 18 of the saddle 17, and a large headedcap screw or machine bolt 19 having a hexagonal socket is threaded intoeach end of the hole 19 to provide a windage adjustment. Thus, byloosening one of the screws 19 and by tightening the other screw, thesaddle member 17 is laterally shifted in relation to the base 14 tocompensate for windage. That is, the saddle 17 is shifted in thedovetail slot 16 by initially turning one of the screws 19 in acounterclockwise direction and then turning the other screw 19 in aclockwise direction which causes the underside of the head of the screwto engage the flat edge of the step 14a and draws the saddle member 17toward the rotated screwhead. After appropriate adjustment, the saddle17 is locked in position by rotating the initial screw 19 in a clockwisedirection. Like saddle 8, the upper portion of saddle 17 is U-shaped orsemicircular to provide a seat for the barrel of the telescopic sight,as will be described presently. As shown in FIG. 1, the rearward or backedge of base member 14 is provided with an approximately 45° undercut orinclined edge or surface 20, the purpose of which will be describedhereinafter.

As previously mentioned, the mount 1 also includes an elongated metalliccarrier 2 which provides a seat and supports a tubular telescopic sightor scope 21 having an intermediate barrel or central body 21a, an eyepiece 21b and an objective lens end 21c. As shown, the carrier 2 isprovided with a pair of suitable sized split rings or half bands 24which fit around the upper peripheral surface of barrel 21a and aresecurely fastened intermediate the ends of carrier bar 25. In practice,one end of each of the half rings 24 includes a hook-like portion 24awhich catches onto a furrowed portion 25a formed on elongated bar 25.The other end 24b of each of the half rings 24 is attached to aprojection 25b by a pair of suitable flat headed machine screws (notcharacterized). Thus, the telescopic sight 20 and the longated carrier 2form a solid and integral structure which may be easily handled by theindividual. It will be seen that the front end or forward extremity ofthe bar 25 is provided with an approximately 45° sloped or cantedsurface 26 which matches the inclined edge 20 of base member 14. Astainless steel pivotal lever 27 is rotatably mounted near the other endof the bar member 25. As shown, the pivotal lever 27 is connected to theunderside of bar 25 by a fillister headed or shouldered machine screw28. The screw 28 passes through a hole located substantially in thecenter of the lever 27 and through a spacing washer 32 situated betweenlever 28 and bar 25. The spacer or washer 32 is preferably made of"Teflon" or "Celcon" or some other self-lubricating material and acts asa standoff to avoid direct contact between the surfaces of the bar 25and lever 27 thereby reducing wear and facilitating movement of thelever. As shown, one end of the lever 27 is provided with a dependingfinger tab or digital piece 29 which may be manipulated by the thumb andindex finger to rotate the lever approximately 90° between a locked andan opened position. It will be noted that a stop member 30 is providedon and depends from the underside of bar 25 for cooperating with notches27a and 27b formed in the edge of lever 27 to limit its movement betweenthe two extreme positions. The leading edge of the other end 31 of lever27 is slightly curved or rounded to physically and frictionally contactthe exposed surface of blade or leaf spring 11 to bend and causedeformation of the leaf spring member 11 as shown slightly exaggeratedin FIG. 4. When the lever 27 is in its locked position, the uppersurface or top of the lever contacts and engages the horizontal lip 8eand the side edge of the engaging end 31 hits and rests against the leafspring member 11 to positively retain it in position.

Initially, let us assume that the telescopic sight 20 is separated fromthe gun or rifle and that it is desired to mount the scope onto therifle. The scope 20 is simply grasped by the intermediate barrel 21a bythe individual. Prior to placement onto the rifle, the individual shouldcheck to ensure that the lever 27 is in its opened position, as shown inFIG. 3, wherein the longitudinal axis of the lever 27 is transverse tothe longitudinal axis of the elongated carrier 2. Next the individualslips the slopped planar end 26 of the carrier 2 under and against theinclined surface 20 of the front saddle assembly, and at the same timehe slips and cradles the front portion of the central barrel 21a ontothe concaved or U-shaped surface of saddle 17. Then the individualmerely lowers and rests the back portion of the central barrel 21a ontothe concaved portion of the U-shaped saddle 8. The telescopic sight 20is positively locked in position by pushing the thumb piece 29 under thebar 25 by rotating the lever 27 approximately 90° to the position asshown in FIGS. 1 and 4. It will be appreciated that rotation of lever 27causes the top surface of lever 27 to engage the lip 8e and also causesits rounded end 31 to come in contact and to frictionally engage theouter or exposed surface of leaf spring 11, and continued movementresults in the bending and slight deformation of the spring 11, as shownin FIG. 4. The deformation and resiliency of the leaf spring orstainless steel blade 11 causes a constant force to be exerted betweenthe carrier member 2 and the saddle assemblies 3 and 4, and theengagement of the contact lip 8e and the top of end portion 31 slightlydeflects or bends the lever 27 so that the telescopic sight 20 isrigidly and unyielding attached to the receiver of the rifle. Once thescope is adjusted and set, it will not wobble, shake or move even whenmounted on and fired from a high powered magnum type of rifle, and, infact, the entire rifle may be picked up by grasping the barrel 21a ofthe scope 21 without causing any loosening or misalignment. Thus, thetelescopic sight may be easily and rapidly mounted in several seconds.Now if it is preferable to have open iron sights, the rifleman mayquickly and readily detach the scope by simply pulling the finger tab 29and rotating the lever 27 so that the rounded edge 31 moves out ofengagement with the leaf spring 11 and the top surface clears anddisengages the locking lip 8e. Then he merely lifts the scope 20 andcarrier 2 off of the receiver of the rifle, and he is ready to aim withthe V-notched groove 8c and the front iron sight mounted on the frontend of the rifle barrel.

Ergo, an individual may promptly attach and detach the telescopic sightin a matter of seconds even in adverse weather while wearing gloves ormittens and without the need of special tools or ancillary devices. Itwill be appreciated that the scope 20 and carrier may be transferred andused on other rifles which are equipped with front and back saddleassemblies. Thus, the same scope and carrier may be transferred andinterchanged with a minimum of effort and adjustment, namely, only thewindage adjustment should be necessary to attain accurate shootingresults.

It will be appreciated that the details of the invention, as seen, shownand disclosed in the drawings and foregoing description, are to beconsidered as illustrative and not restrictive in nature. Accordingly,it is understood that various changes, alterations and modifications maybe made by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of this invention. Thus, it is apparently obvious thatnumerous modifications and changes can be made in practicing thepresently described invention, and therefore, it is understood that allalterations, variations and equivalents producing substantially the sameresults with substantially the same features in substantially the sameway as this invention are herein meant to be encompassed in the appendedclaims.

Having now described the invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:
 1. A mount for readily attaching atelescopic sight to a gun and for quickly detaching the telescopic sightfrom the gun comprising, first and second saddle means spaced apart andfixedly secured to the gun, said first saddle means having a rearwardlyfacing angular contact edge, said second saddle means having a forwardlyfacing flat deflectable leaf member and a locking lip adjacent to saidleaf member and extending orthogonally to the plane of said leaf member,an elongated carrier having one end formed to agree and to abut withsaid angular contact edge, and a manipulatable lever pivotally connectedat the other end of said elongated carrier for movement about an axisextending orthogonally to the plane defined by said locking lip andhaving a portion for frictionally engaging said locking lip anddeflecting said flat deflectable leaf member whereby said elongatedcarrier and the telescopic sight are positively locked in fixedrelationship with said first and said second saddle means.
 2. The mountas defined in claim 1, wherein said flat deflectable leaf member extendslaterally in relation to the longitudinal axis of said elongatedcarrier.
 3. The mount as defined in claim 1, wherein said manipulatablelever includes a grip portion for moving said lever between a locked andan unlocked position.
 4. The mount as defined in claim 3, wherein a stopmember is attached to said elongated carrier for engaging notches formedon said manipulatable lever to limit the movement of said manipulatablelever between the locked and unlocked positions.
 5. The mount as definedin claim 1, wherein each of said first and said second saddle meansincludes an upper concaved portion for accommodating the cylindricalbody of the telescopic sight.
 6. The mount as defined in claim 1,wherein said angular contact edge is in the form of an approximately a45° angle.
 7. The mount as defined in claim 1, wherein said first saddlemeans includes a base member which is screwed to the gun and includes alaterally adjustable U-shaped member.
 8. The mount as defined in claim7, wherein said base member and said U-shaped member includes acooperating dovetail groove and tenon to permit lateral movement.
 9. Themount as defined in claim 7, wherein said U-shaped member includes alateral tenon having a pair of adjusting screws to allow for windageadjustment.
 10. The mount as defined in claim 1, wherein said secondsaddle means includes a replaceable shim member for providing forelevational adjustment and includes an upper U-shaped member foraccommodating the cylindrical body of the telescopic sight.